St. Louis is a place that we venture often. We mostly visit when the Cardinals are in town to catch a baseball game. Dave is a huge St. Louis Cardinals fan and grew up cheering on the team. Dave's dad instilled a love for baseball inside of him, and the Cardinals are his team. We are only a few hours drive from St. Louis which makes it an easy city to visit for the weekend.
We have stayed at several hotels while in St. Louis. All of the hotels downtown are in close proximity to the baseball stadium and the city is very walkable. Our favorite hotels are the Marriott St. Louis Grand and the Courtyard by Marriott St. Louis Downtown/Convention Center.
These hotels are actually very close to each other. The Marriott St. Louis Grand has more of an elegant feel while the Courtyard by Marriott St. Louis Downtown is more modern. Both are wonderful hotels with easy access to the arch and stadium. You can't go wrong with either.
These hotels are actually very close to each other. The Marriott St. Louis Grand has more of an elegant feel while the Courtyard by Marriott St. Louis Downtown is more modern. Both are wonderful hotels with easy access to the arch and stadium. You can't go wrong with either.
800 Washington Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63101
(314) 621-9600
827 Washington Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63101
(314) 231-7560
Baseball is our number one priority while in St. Louis so all of our plans revolve around the game. We typically go for a single night which means that our dinner is always complied of several of our favorite things from you guessed it... the concession stand. We know there are lots of places to grab dinner, but we aren't ashamed to say that our favorite is at the ballpark.
Ballpark Village is a new(er) dining and entertainment district in St. Louis right outside of the ballpark. If you haven't been to Ballpark Village, we highly recommend it. Even if you aren't a Cardinals fan, it's a great place to grab food and drinks and watch all kinds of sporting events on all of their giant televisions. Depending on game time, we either visit Ballpark Village before or after a game... sometimes both. It's a fun atmosphere for anyone who enjoys sports.
We've made it a tradition to catch a game with friends towards the end of the season each year. We love our trips with just the two of us, but friends always make St. Louis so fun! It's an easy night away from home with friends to enjoy a ballgame and some of the sights that St. Louis has to offer.
Traveling with friends can be difficult, but we are thankful to have landed some pretty awesome traveling buddies. It's like you've hit the jackpot when you have friends that are not only the best to be friends with, but also friends that you enjoy traveling with. We are blessed to have such wonderful friends. Love you guys!
Traveling with friends can be difficult, but we are thankful to have landed some pretty awesome traveling buddies. It's like you've hit the jackpot when you have friends that are not only the best to be friends with, but also friends that you enjoy traveling with. We are blessed to have such wonderful friends. Love you guys!
Like we said, most of our time in St. Louis consists of a ballgame. However, we do have a few other things on the list that we always enjoy. St. Louis has a great zoo. One of the best parts... admission to the zoo is FREE. There are fees for some attractions, but overall general admission is free.
This makes it great if you have littles and can't take advantage of the full day, or if you are like us and don't have a ton of extra time in St. Louis. Although admission is free, parking is about 15 bucks. If you don't mind to get there early (and walk a little ways), you can save on parking and park along the street for free. Count this as a bonus if there is a spot when you arrive... several people are aware of this little trick and the spaces fill up fast.
This makes it great if you have littles and can't take advantage of the full day, or if you are like us and don't have a ton of extra time in St. Louis. Although admission is free, parking is about 15 bucks. If you don't mind to get there early (and walk a little ways), you can save on parking and park along the street for free. Count this as a bonus if there is a spot when you arrive... several people are aware of this little trick and the spaces fill up fast.
1 Government Drive
St. Louis, MO 63110
(314) 781-0900
Another attraction that you must see while visiting St. Louis is Anheuser-Busch Brewery. This is where the history of Anheuser-Busch lies and it is such a neat place. They offer several tours, including a general tour that is complimentary. Filled with years of history, this place transports you in time. Even if you aren't a beer drinker (or alcohol, for that matter) this is a tour that everyone can appreciate. And, who doesn't love their famous clydesdales? Always check their website for any special events taking place and tour times when you plan to visit.
12th and Lynch Street
St. Louis, MO 63118
St. Louis, MO 63118
(314) 577-2626
The Biergarten is a unique space at the brewery with a charming atmosphere right in the middle of things. This is one of our favorite places to grab lunch in St. Louis. The food is always so good and it's a fun place to grab a drink snack (or both) before or after the tour.
Everything is very reasonable and they have a great selection on their menu. Again, check their website for hours which vary by season and any upcoming closures they have for special events.
Everything is very reasonable and they have a great selection on their menu. Again, check their website for hours which vary by season and any upcoming closures they have for special events.
Another "must" in St. Louis is visiting the arch. Even if you don't choose to go up in the arch, you should walk down to check it out close up. The Gateway Arch is the tallest man-made national monument in the United States and truly serves as the "gateway" to the west.
There is a museum at the base of the arch that provides loads of information about its history. This is something that we highly recommend you do if you have extra time to spare in St. Louis. We get it, going up in the arch isn't something for everyone. In fact, its one of those things that once you've done it... you don't really feel the need to do it again. We both did it as kids (take the littles!), and it's something that neither of us has really cared to do again.
Close to the arch (just two blocks away), you'll find the Old Courthouse. This is another sight that you should see and spend time exploring while you're in St. Louis. Built between 1839 and 1862, the Old Courthouse holds a significant part of U.S. history.
11 North 4th Street
St. Louis, MO 63102
(877) 982-1410
This famous landmark holds history where Dred and Harriet Scott sued for freedom from slavery and
Virginia Minor fought for women’s right to vote. There are also several exhibits
describing how St. Louis served as a hub for early settlers moving west. This is a fun place to explore and relive history. Admission to the Old Courthouse is FREE.
St. Louis has a lot of great festivals and offers several fun things to do year-round. Before we travel, we always check out visitor websites to see if anything special is going on. One of our favorite things is to experience festivals that are special to places that we visit - things that dive you head first into their culture and teach you about the community.
You can check out the visiting St. Louis website here. Owensboro is known for barbecue and hosts a bar-b-q festival each May. Little did we know, St. Louis also has a handful of local barbecue restaurants and celebrates them with a festival that brings BBQ chefs from around the country. We were fortunate to catch Q in the Lou on a weekend that we were visiting for a game. We love catching things like this. It is always such a bonus when we travel!
Laclede's Landing near the St. Louis riverfront offers lots of dining and night life entertainment. There are lots of fun restaurants and bars. It is certainly an area of St. Louis that comes to life in the evening. Although the walk isn't far, we recommend grabbing a cab or uber to drop you off and pick you up at night... it can be a sketchy walk.
Honestly, we haven't visited this area the past few visits. It's gotten a little rough. There are several horse-drawn carriage rides offered and it is known for its historic cobblestone streets.
Honestly, we haven't visited this area the past few visits. It's gotten a little rough. There are several horse-drawn carriage rides offered and it is known for its historic cobblestone streets.
Another favorite place of ours in St. Louis is The Hill, a neighborhood located on high ground south of Forest Park. The Hill's roots intertwine with the history of St. Louis - generating two of the region's proudest exports: world-class athletes and Italian cuisine.
Baseball’s Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola grew up in The Hill and today it maintains a traditional collection of authentic Italian bakeries, grocery stores, restaurants and mom-and-pop trattorias. You definitely want the visit The Hill in St. Louis. Zia's is a great place to grab lunch! We're sure they offer great dinner too, but you know where we eat all of our dinners in St. Louis.
Baseball’s Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola grew up in The Hill and today it maintains a traditional collection of authentic Italian bakeries, grocery stores, restaurants and mom-and-pop trattorias. You definitely want the visit The Hill in St. Louis. Zia's is a great place to grab lunch! We're sure they offer great dinner too, but you know where we eat all of our dinners in St. Louis.
Finally, the way we wrap up each visit in St. Louis is visiting Ted Drewes Frozen Custard. While Busch Stadium is Dave's favorite stop of the trip to St. Louis, Ted Drews is Jess's. Ted Drews is a popular take-out spot with a variety of frozen custards dished out through a walk-up window. We recommend going to the original location, originals are always the best!
St. Louis, MO 63109
(314) 481-2652
If you enjoy ice cream and all things sweet, this is a place you've got to check out. Since Jess discovered it on her first trip to St. Louis growing up, this is now a non-negotiable stop anytime we visit. Although baseball is usually what takes us to St. Louis, there are several reasons to keep going back. We are thankful we can enjoy this city as a quick weekend trip!
Although baseball has been a top priority for us when we visit St. Louis, we've occasionally thrown attending a wedding in the mix. Although St. Louis is an easy weekend trip for us, the last night we spent in St. Louis followed our surprise trip to Las Vegas to celebrate Dave's 30th birthday.
By time our flight landed and we grabbed our luggage we had about one hour to get our car at the airport, drive to the hotel and check in, throw on our wedding attire and then grab a ride to the wedding venue. We were in a RUSH! We were staying at the Hyatt at the Arch this time around and called on our way there to check in over the phone. They had the room keys at the front desk waiting for us once we pulled in valet and we we wedding ready and walking out the door in 15 minutes.
Weddings with college friends are always so much fun! We were still on a high from all of our fun in Las Vegas, and Dave continued the fun while catching up with a handful of his fraternity brothers. The wedding and reception venue was the Saint Louis Art Museum and it was stunning!
Clearly, we were having a little too much fun. We planned to enjoy a little bit of St. Louis the morning after the wedding. First up, was a yummy breakfast at Benton Park Cafe. As a heads up, it's always pretty packed so plan accordingly. We scooped up a couple of seats together at the bar.
After eating before we got on the road to head home, we had to make a pit stop for more food. We always try to take something back to Dave's parents when we travel and they're keeping Hopsen for us. His dad loves all things St. Louis so we grabbed some treats from Gus' Pretzel Shop to take back.
We seem to wrap up weekends pretty quick in St. Louis, and bet we'll be back before we know it.
Don't forget about the FREE street parking at the zoo.
If you're a gambler, St. Louis has a great casino located near Laclede's Landing. It's called the Lumiere Place Casino and is right next to the Four Seasons.
Parking garages surround Busch Stadium and the closest spots will only cost you about $20. If you arrive early to enjoy Ballpark Village, you won't have to be bothered with the parking crowd.
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